According to news, Member Finance Capital Development Authority, Javed Jehangir, has been directed by CDA to compensate affected villagers of sectors H-16 and I-17 by 25th July. Court has asked CDA to compensate 600 affected villagers of the both sectors.
Islamabad High Court observed that for land in these two sectors, CDA had already paid Bahria Town and other influential parties, around Rs 3 billion soon after the announcement of sectors in 2009. The court observed this after hearing identical petitions made by affected villagers of these sectors. CDA officials have been warned by Justice Shaukat Aziz that bank accounts of the authority would be seized and their salaries would be halted if they don’t compensate villagers of the sectors.
One of the counsellors of affected villagers named Raja Inam Amin Minhas reported to court that for sectors H-16 and I-17, CDA awarded 16,000 kanal in three villages i.e. Noon, Badhana and Kot Kholian. He also told the court that CDA stopped providing compensation to others after giving compensation to affected villagers of these three villages. An appeal was filed by affected villagers in 2010 in Lahore High Court. He further added that court decided the matter in favour of affected villagers.
The counsellor also added that affected villagers view the court petitions of CDA officials in Islamabad High Court for with scorn coming up with different excuses on every hearing and not implementing the orders of court. He revealed that CDA counsel in order to dodge the court has twice presented five options of compensation in past one year. He also said that these five options presented twice by him had been already rejected by villagers.
The court was also told by villager’s counsellor that total compensation of Rs 12 billion was to be given by CDA for sectors H-16 and I-17 but despite in its four consecutive budgets (exceeding Rs 20 billion each year), it did not even allocate a single penny for compensation.
When asked retired Fariduddin Mustafa, CDA Director Land Capt by court to explain the position of CDA, he told the court that under land sharing formula the authority is ready to compensate affected villagers but they rejected their offer.
